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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Formatting Guidelines

When authors are getting ready to submit to agents, I see a lot of them who get caught up in what’s really too ridiculous to stress over, and that’s formatting. Listen, folks, follow the simple term paper formatting rules you had to follow in high school or college and you’ll be fine. But for those who are still worried, here are some guidelines. Guidelines, mind you, and not rules. Every agent is different, but if you follow these guidelines, few are going to reject you without reading a word.

Query LetterStandard business-letter formatting. If you’re using a word processing program like Microsoft Word you can probably use a template, but here are my suggestions:

Single space

One page only

Include your address, email, phone, and web site if you have one

Include the date (and make sure to update this with each letter you send, otherwise it gives a sneak peek into how long you’ve been submitting for)

A font that’s comfortable for you to read over and over and over. Times New Roman, Courier, Arial. All are acceptable. Usually 11 or 12 point. Again, think of reading 50 of these in one sitting and avoid eye strain.

ManuscriptAgain, standard word processing format works best, but here are some guidelines to help you get started

One-inch margins

Double space

One-sided only

Page numbers in a header including your last name (should be the same name as on the letter)

A font that’s comfortable for you to read over and over and over. Times New Roman, Courier, Arial. All are acceptable. Usually 11 or 12 point. Again, think of reading 50 of these in one sitting and avoid eye strain.

Listen, I am not going to reject you if your margins are less than one inch or greater. I won’t reject you if your query letter is double-spaced. I might not read as much of your book if it’s single-spaced because my eyes will start to hurt, and I might not read as much of anything you submit if you use a fancy script type that’s hard to read. When formatting a manuscript or when submitting anything to an agent, think logically. There are absolutely no rules in this, no matter what people say, just make sure we can read it.

30 comments:

I'm fine with a single spaced synopsis, but when in doubt double-space.

Hint: make sure your synopsis is clearly labeled synopsis in the header. It makes it easier for us to find the chapters. I always like the synopsis placed at the end of the chapters in the pack too. I'm one who doesn't like a spoiler, but it's not a big deal either way.

Only one thing to add, for the authors: remember, if an editor or agent is so rigid that he or she would reject you because you used Arial instead of TNR - ask yourself if that is really someone you would want to work with.

Keep it clean (as in clear & uncluttered), keep it easy to read, and you should be fine.

I tend to go by the 250 words per page count simply because often it's the size of a manuscript that scares people before they even see word count. I also think that translates for the publisher better anyway. If you have a lot of dialogue word count will be lower but page count might be higher.

Thanks for common-sense, practical advice. What length synopsis do you like? I don't guess there's anything like an "industry standard," since I've heard everything from one single-spaced page to ten single or double-spaced ones.

What about special formatting for e-mail queries? Some sites say that all special characters, such as "smart" quotes and apostrophes, dashes, superscripts, ellipses, etc., turn into bizarre symbols on the recipient's end, even if they look fine going out, and that line spacing, paragraph indentations, and centering are deleted. And, of course, that the font is changed to whatever the recipient has chosen for e-mail. Should all these elements be removed from the manuscript before copying into the email? Is it good enough just to save in rtf or text-only format? Or are agents so accustomed to dealing with garbled text that we shouldn't sweat it?

Cassandra, I've heard that when in doubt with an email submission, save it in .rtf, (though look it over for any wierd formating things, of course), and send it that way, because most word processing programs can easily recognize it.

However, if you KNOW your agent/editor will be using Word, you don't really have to worry about it.

I figure some agents and editors are more rigid and different in their submission guidelines because they want to weed out the impatient aspiring authors. This business requires infinite patience! I realized recently that once I got past the partial stage, the rigid ones were much more lenient.

Should the synopsis be indented like the manuscript or justified left like the query?

And for email submissions in general, is single space with extra space between paragraphs ok for query, sample chapters and synopsis? When I send something double-spaced it comes out single-spaced in the email.

What about italics? Some formatting guides/webpages say to change sections you want italicized to underline because it stands out more, and some say it's fine to leave it in italics. What's your preference?

I was going to ask for guidelines for synopses as well. There is a lot of information available on writing queries, but so far, I haven't found much on synopses (although I expect there will be more variation between different agents as to what exactly they want).

I prefer that queries be in the body of the email. I know nothing about special things like smart quotes turning into weird symbols, although I have seen it happen. I guess the best thing to do is write a basic email. As for attachments, if I ask for anything Word is fine.

Single space on queries with double spaces between paragraphs works fine for me on snail mail or email queries. And you're right. As long as I can read it the little stuff doesn't matter too much.

I have no preference for how a synopsis is formatted/justified.

Italics or underlined is fine. Do whatever works for you.

Guidelines for synopsis: actually tell me what happens. Double spaced or single spaced are fine for me.

I'll think about doing a post on synopsis guidelines. I honestly don't know if there is much.

Some agents request a few pages be pasted into the bottom of the email. I generally go through the pages and put a blank line between each paragraph, since cutting and pasting removes the formatting. It just looks too much like a big lump of text otherwise. Is this necessary, or do most "pages in the email" agents just plow through the lump?

I saw your website from Literary Agent listing and found your advice VERY helpful....I'm still working on my (first ever) manuscript, and when I'm ready to submit, I'll be sure to refer back to your site....thanks so much...

Quote; "When formatting a manuscript or when submitting anything to an agent, think logically. There are absolutely no rules in this, no matter what people say, just make sure we can read it."

Thank-You for clearing that up, clearly and simply!! I've been sweating that out for some time, and as a new writer to the publishing world...apprehension is one's biggest enemy. That little piece of advice is worth more than you can imagine. Thanks again!!

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BookEnds is a literary agency that believes in the power of a book. We represent authors who write primarily commercial fiction and nonfiction for adult and young adult audiences. Our agents include Jessica Faust, Kim Lionetti, Jessica Alvarez, and Beth Campbell.